Of Course Samsung Is Planning Its Own Google Glass Competitor

Samsung prefers to leave no gadget category uncovered–even the unproven ones–so it’s no surprise the company is working on a Google Glass competitor.

While Samsung hasn’t exactly confirmed its plans, an unnamed “Samsung associate” told Business Korea that the company’s version of high-tech glasses will be revealed at a September trade show.

A Samsung associate let on, “We rolled out the smartwatch first, and have secured a considerable amount of smart glass-related technology and patents. Following the roll out of our smart watch Galaxy Gear in September last year, we are slated to introduce our smart glass Gear Glass this September.”

Details are scarce, but the glasses will reportedly run Tizen, the same operating system Samsung uses in its latest Galaxy Gear smartwatches. That probably means you’ll be able to answer phone calls, view text messages and run some small-scale apps–only with the screen tethered to your face instead of your wrist.

It’ll be interesting to see how much Samsung charges for a head-mounted gadget. Google currently charges $1,500 for a prototype version of Glass, but research firm IHS guesses the bill of materials and manufacturing comes to just $152. (Google told the Wall Street Journal that estimate is “wildly off.”)

While it’s unclear if there’s much of a market for face computers, Gear Glass would fit Samsung’s recent tendency to charge into new product categories, if only to plant a flag. The company released its first smartwatch to harsh reviews last fall before quickly replacing it with three new offerings. And earlier this year, Samsung released a couple of 12-inch tablets, possibly in response to rumors of a larger iPad in the making.

[Business Korea]

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